This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
CMU Planner
Five Day Forecast – w/c 11 Jul 2011
By Andy Malt | Published on Monday 11 July 2011
Last week, all news, music or otherwise, was overshadowed by the News Of The World phone hacking scandal and this week that story isn’t looking like letting up, as the implications and accusations spread further in the News Corp empire. But there is still other stuff happening, I promise. Lots of it. Well, maybe not lots, as we’re heading into the music industry’s quiet period, but there are a few things happening. Look, I’ve pulled a few of them together for you…
01: Spotify US launch. After the dummy US launch of music streaming service Spotify last week, which saw the company add a page to its website allowing Americans to sign up to receive invites, now the Wall Street Journal reckons that the service may launch properly some time around the middle of this week. Warner Music is reportedly still a hold out, but may sign a deal to licence its catalogue in the next few days. The three other majors are already on board.
02: MusicTank challenge the ‘dinosaur myth’, with a half-day mini-conference at the PRS For Music HQ in London, on 14 Jul at 2.30pm. It follows up the recent report by former EMI UK chief Tony Wadsworth on the future of the record company, which was launched at this year’s Great Escape. Joining Tony for the debate will be, among others, former Sony UK President Muff Winwood, Universal digital man Paul Smernicki, [PIAS] UK MD Peter Thompson, Cooking Vinyl founder Martin Goldschmidt, Robert Horsfall from Sound Advice, Radio 1 music chief George Ergatoudis, WhizzKid Entertainment CEO Malcolm Gerrie and media analyst Alice Enders.
03: CMU PR training. This week sees your last chance to attend CMU’s PR and promoting music training course before September. The one-day course on Wednesday offers advice on how to build a profile for artists, and covers the state of the music media, traditional and new publicity techniques, social media and the future of music PR. The event takes place in Shoreditch, and there are still some places left at £95 plus VAT.
04: New releases. OK, so this week I want all of you to go out and buy ‘Dedication’ by Zomby. I’m presuming you all like introspective post-rave comedown music, yes? Good. That’s post-rave as in, after the rave, I’ve not invented another of those stupid genre names. Oh yeah, other stuff that’s out this week. Well, there’s new albums from The Horrors and William Eilliott Whitmore, plus the debut solo LP from Killers drummer Ronnie Vannucci under the name Big Talk. Also, Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor has a book out.
05: Gigs. We’re getting deep into festival season now, so how about we start with a festival-related gig. Thursday night will see The Old Queens Head in Islington play host to the final heat of this year’s Road To Standon competition, of which I am one of the judges. One more unsigned band will be sent to appear in the final at the Standon Calling festival itself, where they will compete to win a slot on the main stage. Elsewhere in the world of gigs, on Tuesday Primal Scream will be playing Wembley Arena for Orange RockCorps, Ice Cube and Naughty By Nature will be playing IndigO2, and Porcelain Raft will be at Madame Jojos, on Wednesday The Horrors will play an intimate show at the 100 Club, and on Friday They Might Be Giants will play Koko.
If you want to catch up with other recent developments in the music world, don’t forget to check out the CMU podcast. And see if you can spot the point at which Chris forgets what podcast he’s on (confusing it with another podcast that doesn’t actually exist): www.completemusicupdate.com/podcast
Andy Malt
Editor, CMU
